Jacob deGrom, David Wright lead Mets to 5-0 win over Rangers

Texas Rangers first baseman Prince Fielder, left, is unable to catch a throw from third, allowing New York Mets' Ruben Tejada (11) to reach the bag safely in the fourth inning of an exhibition baseball game Friday, April 3, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. Rang

Tony Gutierrez

April 03, 2015

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Jacob deGrom pitched four sharp innings in his final spring tuneup, David Wright had a perfect night at the plate and the New York Mets shut down the Texas Rangers for a 5-0 victory Friday.

Last season's NL Rookie of the Year, deGrom was joined by Rafael Montero, Jeurys Familia, Jenrry Mejia and Jerry Blevins in completing a three-hitter.

Wright went 3 for 3 with a walk, and Juan Lagares had three hits.

Mets pitchers extended their scoreless streak to 20 1-3 innings and have given up only nine runs over the past seven games. New York ace Matt Harvey tossed four shutout innings Thursday.

''Our pitching's really good,'' manager Terry Collins said, ''and I think in the last week we showed it, even though it's spring training.''

The Rangers have lost eight in a row.

Wright doubled home Lagares in the first inning against starter Logan Verrett, a former Mets minor leaguer who was making his Rangers debut after being acquired Thursday on a waiver claim from Baltimore.

Prince Fielder's double in the third inning was the Rangers' only extra-base hit. No Texas runner made it beyond second.

''Our hitters were down in the count all but two or three hitters,'' Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. ''On the pitching side, we were underneath the hitters quite a bit tonight. You've got to be able to throw strikes.''

The Mets added a run in the fourth and three in the seventh, including an RBI double by Curtis Granderson.

Verrett spent his first three seasons in the Mets' system before the Orioles selected him in the winter meeting draft this past offseason.

STARTING TIME

Mets: Scheduled to start the second game of the season Wednesday night at Washington, deGrom allowed one hit and struck out four against the Rangers. He permitted two runs or fewer in each of his six spring outings.

Rangers: GM Jon Daniels said he expects Verrett, who lasted 2 1-3 innings against his former club, to make the opening-day roster barring something ''extreme.'' The Rangers intend to use Verrett as a long reliever.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mets: Collins spoke to 2B Daniel Murphy, who was not with the team in Arlington while recovering from a strained right hamstring. Murphy went 3 for 4 with a double and a walk in a minor league game in Florida. Asked if Murphy will be with the team for the season opener Monday in Washington, Collins said: ''Looks like it's possibly going to happen.''

Rangers: Right-handed reliever Lisalverto Bonilla will start the season on the disabled list because of elbow discomfort. Daniels said Bonilla had an injection and will take a few days off from throwing. ... Top prospect Joey Gallo had surgery to remove a troublesome unneeded bone from his left ankle. The slugger is expected back at Double-A Frisco in about three weeks. It is the same injury that former Texas catcher Geovany Soto had last year, and he was back 16 days after surgery.

TUNING UP

While the Rangers replaced seven of their nine hitters before the end of the fifth inning, the Mets used Friday as a more extensive tuneup for Monday's season opener.

Collins called Friday a perfect scenario for giving his starters extra work.

''You got to play under the bright lights,'' Collins said after the game. ''I mean, that's what the game's about. You get a little bit extra adrenaline and you kind of get ready for what we're going to expect on Monday.''